Preface

As computing devices have gotten smaller and smaller, and as they

have gotten more interested in knowing things about you, they have
also become more intimate. A desktop computer that you control
with a keyboard and mouse doesn’t feel like an extension of you
most of the time (with a notable exception being when you’re lost in
an activity such as programming or gaming). A tablet feels an awful
lot like a book. Mobile phones get a little closer to you, but they still
have enough bulk to constantly remind you they are still there.
Wearable devices, however, can truly begin to feel like a part of you.
You might use them to tell time and receive notifications from your
mobile phone, but you also use them in a much more personal fash‐
ion. They can monitor your heart rate and count your steps, and
when they need your attention, they touch you gently by vibrating.

Balancing Comfort, Looks, and Ability

Over the years, we’ve attached some clunky-looking devices to our
wrists, our belts, and even our eyeglasses. Some smart jewelry can
hang from your neck or even ears. But when does a device cease to
be an appendage and start feeling like an extension of yourself? It’s
probably a device that you forget to take off when you go for a swim,
that you can wear to the top of a mountain and back down, and that
you can comfortably wear while sleeping.
A smartwatch works in all of those use cases. It’s the least obtrusive
thing that can possibly work. A few hours into your swim, hike, or
nap, and it’s an extension of you that’s always there.